Integrated circuits (e.g., circuits based on silicon technology, gallium arsenide technology, or other technology) may be fabricated by patterning one or more dice on a wafer. After the wafer processing is complete, the dice may be separated and packaged.
Due to process and material variations, the characteristics and performance of circuit elements in different parts of a particular die may differ. For example, a transistor element formed at a first location on a die may have different characteristics and perform differently than an equivalent transistor element located at a different location on the die.
Differences among the circuit elements may affect the overall performance of an integrated circuit on a particular die. A circuit element that performs more poorly than other circuit elements may cause the integrated circuit to perform more poorly than expected. For example, the speed of the integrated circuit may be less than desired, and the integrated circuit may need to be sold at a reduced price. In some cases, the performance of an integrated circuit may be degraded to the extent that it does not meet minimum requirements for sale, and the integrated circuit must be scrapped.